Nehemiah plans more new homes

City aids housing effort with

The City of Springfield and an east-side affordable
housing organization will again partner to construct new homes for
low-to-moderate income residents. On Oct. 6, the public affairs and safety
committee will consider a measure to sell five parcels of land to
not-for-profit Nehemiah Expansion, Inc., for $500.

The Rev. Silas Johnson, chief executive officer of
Nehemiah and pastor at Calvary Baptist Church, 2208 E. Kansas St., has
overseen the construction of 20 single-family homes in the two blocks
surrounding his church since the March 2006 tornadoes swept through and
damaged a large portion of the east side of Springfield. With the
city's help, Nehemiah now plans to begin Phase II of its project and
build 30 additional two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes, complete with
basements and garages.

"The city allows us to buy the land at a very
reasonable cost," Johnson says. "It gives us a better
opportunity to apply additional funds and spend more on other
properties."

If the city council OK's the ordinance, the
organization plans to begin building on the land in spring 2009. The
addresses are 926 S. 16th St., 1220 S. 16th St., 2312 S. Grand Ave., 809 S. 19th St., and 815 S. 19th St. Ernie
Slottag, the city's communication director, says the city benefits
from this type of partnership. He doesn't foresee any opposition from
aldermen.

"What Nehemiah does, it gets the neighborhood
cleaned up and gets some nice, affordable homes in the area," Slottag
says.